The Burden of Two Swords
by Spacewolf
Summary: (AU)Long ago in Japan there was an obscure religious sect known as the Cult of the Tiger. The Great Tiger Lord, famous for his neutrality in times of war must resume his task of protecting a talisman left in his care. Trouble is, Rin won't give it back!
1. The Burden of Two Swords

A/N Okee. This is my first non-nonsensical Inuyasha fic. I hope to work in some humour, but it won't be the complete silliness of my other fics. Please bear with me. Read and review and let me know what you think?

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.:.Feudal Japan.:.

"So, ye are the Lord of the Tiger Cult they have sent to vanquish me?"

"You're the guardian of the talisman,"he answered calmly.

Kaede squinted up at the tall pale man with her one good eye. She wasn't so spry in her old age, so most of those who came seeking the talisman were foolish and over confident. She suspected he would not be.

He was dressed in a white kimono with some minor armor. On his right shoulder there was what appeared to be the pelt of a large white animal. Tiger stripes adorned his cheeks and he wore a sword strapped at both hips. His forehead was not quite covered by his slightly curled silver bangs.

She was dressed as fitted a miko of her rank. Something he neither acknowledged, or ignored. It seemed to not matter to him.

"Would ye like to try your luck against me?" she asked him.

Usually those seeking the talisman made the first move. And an aggressive move it often was. He, however, simply stood. Framed in the doorway of her humble village temple. Watching her with eyes that held no more expression then glass.

"Are ye perhaps afraid of an old woman?" she cackled, hoping to anger him into something.

No man should just stand there, staring.

"No." His voice was calm, detached. Expressionless.

"Then it be perhaps ye be waiting for an invitation into my humble shrine?" she asked ironically.

"Do not be foolish," he answered firmly. Sweeping the small room with his gaze. "I have come for the talisman!"

"Aye," she nodded. "If ye take a step for it, ye will be cut down!"

"By you?"

There was no scorn, no disbelief, no nothing in voice. A casual question. Kaede shivered.

'Oh the Cult of the Tigers have done well with ye,' she thought to herself. To him she said.

"Aye, by me!"

"I see."

Her only indication he was about to move was a slight incline to his head. The next thing Kaede knew, she could feel a wind rush passed her as he ran towards the shrine faster then human legs could run.

The charms around the talisman were strong however.

As he reached for it, Kaede could feel a faint shudder seem to pass through the shrine. There was a flash of light as his hand passed through the charms around the talisman. The sound of steel ringing filled the air. She held out her hand automatically.

The Toukijin flew to her gasp from it's scabbard upon the wall of the shrine. She gripped it, feeling it's rage hum through her. Fill her till she barely knew herself.

It's thirst for blood pulsed beneath her hands.

"This be your last warning," she said firmly. "Leave now, or ye will know the wrath of the Toukijin!"

"Is that what it's called?"

He seemed to have forgotten the talisman.

He faced her now. His right hand bleeding from his punishment, doled out by the charms. Kaede fought back the sword's lust for violence with some effort.

"Aye!" she nodded. Her eyes narrowed.

"It's angry," he said, looking with something that might have been curiosity at the sword. He reached for it. The Toukijin released a warning pulse. The stranger withdrew his hand.

"Aye, it's always angry. Always wanting the blood of those it's drawn on! It can only be quenched with blood and it always thirsts for more!" Kaede said.

"So this is how you have protected the talisman for so long," he said. "It has been the swords and not your own skills?"

"I may look like someone's grandmother!" Kaede snapped. "But ye better believe I can lay waste to you!"

"Perhaps," he nodded. "But I am unarmed!"

He looked around and spied the other sword hanging from the temple wall.

Kaede tried to let out a cry of warning, but he was already drawing the sword, already turning it against it's twin.

The swords, forged so long ago no one remember who had done it, knew one another as one brother knows another. Their tips touched, reaching for one another and they let their displeasure be known.

A blast of wind burst from the swords, slamming both would be combatants back with such force neither could resist. Kaede was blown clear from her own temple, while the stranger crashed into the shrine which housed the talisman.

Triggering the charms protecting it.

"Fool turned one against the other," Kaede said rising to her knees. "I hope the charms kill him!"

"Hope denied," he answered, walking out of the temple, holding the Toukijin's twin. Point down, ready to strike.

Kaede scrambled for the Toukijin, but she was not as young as she used to be. He was there first.

A warning died in her throat as he reached for it.

'Let him die by the swords,' she thought savagely. 'My rheumatism will bother me for weeks now because of him!'

As the stranger's hand wrapped around the hilt of the Toukijin, Kaede noticed the claws on his hand.

How odd. Even for the Cult of the Tigers.

She waited for an eruption twice that of the one which had knocked her from the temple. Much as the swords hated to be turned against one another; they hated even more to be held by the same person.

Nothing happened.

The stranger examined both swords curiously. Which was more emotion then he had displayed when being threatened with a sword.

Kaede sagged against the ground in disbelief.

"Ye gods love to torment an old lady," she moaned. Grunting she pushed herself to her feet. She dusted her hands off and limped back to the temple. "Ye might as well come an have some tea," she called to the stranger, staggering back into her temple. "I must explain things to ye!"

He came obediently, holding a sword in each hand. He walked right passed the talisman, which suggested the reasons he as here, were not his own. Probably the Cult of the Tiger vainly trying to reach for the talisman. The fools.

He sat down on a mat in the back of the temple, laying the swords across his lap. Calmly he accepted tea from her. As if it was nothing unusual to sit with someone who had threatened your life.

"Why did they do that?" the stranger asked her. "Attack each other like that?"

Kaede sighed and massaged her forehead.

She knew she needed a successor, but dear gods? A Tiger Lord?

"T'was not attacking," she corrected. "Not each other anyways. That explosion was a _warning_ to us. The swords be brothers. Brothers do not like to be turned against one another. _Are not meant_ to be turned against one another."

"I see."

Kaede didn't bother trying to puzzle out if he believed her or not. For all she knew, he was about to kill her!

"And the swords also do not like to be held by the same person," she added. "Only someone who is completely neutral can hold both brothers at once. Otherwise the bearer would favor one above the other. Which be intolerable to siblings. Someone out for bad, would favor the Toukijin for its power to slay. Someone out for good would favor the Tensaiga, for it's power to heal. Only someone who is neutral can love both swords for what they are."

He nodded.

"If ye be able to hold both swords, then ye be bearer of both swords."

"I see."

"Stop that!" Kaede barked. "Ye do not see! Ye do not understand! Ye are cursed or blessed to bear the twin swords! Ye can never love one sword more then the other! Ye can never choose sides!"

"The Cult of the Tiger, does not concern themselves with the affairs of the rabble," he answered.

"Aye," she acknowledged. "But _ye_ cannot concern yourself with the affairs of the Cult of the Tiger! Dangerous times approach! And all will take sides! _Ye must not_, lest ye be destroyed by those you wield!"

"What if I refuse?"

"Ye cannot," Kaede said somewhat sorrowfully. "The twins will consume your life and ye cannot refuse!"

He nodded.

"What does this entail?" he asked her.

"Ye are more accepting then I was," she admitted grudgingly.

"Why fight what I have no control over?" he asked calmly. "The swords have chosen me, not the other way around. Their power is great. Why not harness it for myself?"

"Ye can have no cause," Kaede cautioned him. "No cause save that of the swords!"

"And what is there cause?" he asked.

"It be the protection of the talisman," Kaede answered. "It be the protection of the talisman until someone else may take up the burden of two swords. Ye will never be safe, ye will never settle, ye must always roam. Ye will face great and powerful foes. If ye do not die in the protection of the talisman, ye will loose your life as I have. Ye will not be free until your burden is passed on."

"I see."

"Stop saying that!"

.:.One Hundred Years Later.:.

"This is the place!" Akio said to his partner in crime Goro. The thief adjusted his mask and drew his short sword.

"I don't like it here," Goro whispered. "They say that the Tiger Lords still prowl here!"

Akio shook his head over his friend's folly. There were in sacred cemetery of the Cult of the Tiger. Now, a century after their reign, they were nothing but stories to frighten children, and the foolish with.

Akio had no use for such stories. Not while he was starving.

The Cult of the Tiger had always been so good, burying their Tiger Lords with riches and valuables. Many of these tombs had been completely ransacked. One or two might have a few bits and pieces left.

Only one had never been touched.

"The tomb of the Great Tiger Lord," Goro whispered in awe as they approached the lonesome tomb. A little sapling of a tree grew beside it. Hardly a shoot.

Goro grabbed Akio's arm and jerked him to a halt.

"Let's go back!" he whispered. "Please? Akio, it's not worth it!"

"You go back!" Akio spat, jerking his arm from Goro's grasp. "I'm going to become rich off of whatever is in that tomb!"

He ran forward to the crumbling crypt before Goro's fear caught on with him.

"It's night!" Goro whimpered, tailing after. "The spirits are always hungry at night!"

"So am I!" Akio snapped. He brought the pommel of his sword against the tomb's wall. Dust flew up and a small crack appeared. Akio hit again. The crack grew wider, but at this rate it would take nearly twice the time they'd planned on. "Goro I need your club!!" Akio hissed at his friend.

Trembling in fear Goro ran up. Akio watched, waiting to see if anyone would pass through the cemetery as Goro began beating the wall of the tomb with his stout club. Finally a section of the wall caved in.

"I see a glitter!" Goro exclaimed happily. He reached eagerly into the crypt.

A chilling wind blew across the cemetery, almost masking the whisper of steel sliding out of a scabbard.

Goro screamed as his arm was cleaved from his body. His cries were cut short as the silver sword came back and slid into his body as easily as a hot knife slides through butter.

Akio screamed in fear and fell back.

A pale man, dressed in old fashioned clothing with a sword in his right hand regarded Akio serenely.

The blood of his friend still dripped off the sword, although, no blood spattered the pale man. A wind Akio did not feel stirred the man's long silver hair. The dance of th silver strands attracted Akio's attention to the tiger stripes on the man's cheeks.

"You're a Tiger Lord!" he accused, backing up.

"I was," the man answered, walking towards him. Right through Goro's body! Akio was trembling so badly he couldn't have run had he wanted.

"Please no," he whispered.

"When the sword is drawn, only blood can slake it's hunger," the man answered softly. For one second he was engulfed in red mist. "And mine!"

He thrust forward. Piercing Akio right through the heart. The thief could only grunt in surprise. He stared up at the stary sky and stiffened. Sliding off the edge of the sword as easily as he had slid onto it.

The sword was already being sheathed, and the sword's wielder walking away as Akio closed his eyes.

.:.Present Day Japan.:.

Rin ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

She had no destination as she dashed through the ancient Japanese cemetery but she wasn't running to something, she was running away.

Running away from the double coffin being lowered into the ground, running away from that awful Toad-Man, her uncle Jaken. Running away from everyone in black, running away from those most terrible words in any language.

I'm so sorry.

Those words had chased her since the accident. Since she'd awakened from her three day coma and asked the nice nurse to tell her mommy and daddy not to worry because she was alright.

Chased her when the doctor told her she was the only survivor in a fatal crash, claiming the lives of three others.

Chased her as friends and family came to apologize for her loss.

Those words had hounded her since the hospital and she knew they would hound her forever. They follow her forever.

No matter where she went, no matter who she was with they'd always be there.

'Where's your mommy and daddy?'

'They died.'

'Oh. I'm so sorry!'

For the rest of her life she would be the little girl who'd lost her parents in a tragic crash.

That was another word that would follow her.

Lost.

She'd lost her parents.

Rin hadn't lost her parents at all. They were gone. No matter what. She could stay in Japan, she could go to Canada with her mean uncle Jaken, she could go to the moon and they'd always be gone.

She'd tried to bear it in the hospital. She'd tried to bear it since getting out of the hospital. She'd tried to bear it during the funeral as people dressed in black stood at the front of the little temple and gave speeches about their loss.

She'd tried to bear it during the procession as they drove down the street slowly with her parents in a box in the back of the hearse. She hadn't been able to bear it as the casket was lowered and people stood around murmuring sadly.

She'd caught snippets of their sorrowful conversations.

....So young....

....Too young, too good.....

....Such a loss....

....So Sorry.....

And that was why she was running.

All she had left in the world was her Uncle Jaken, whom she not so affectionately referred to as the 'Toad-Man.'

When she hadn't been able to take it any longer she'd run away. Run frm her parent's as they were lowered into the ground, run from her future with the Toad-Man and run from the pitying people with sad eyes and run from 'I'm sorry.'

Her frantic, head long dash was interrupted as her shiny dress shoes caught on the tree root of a huge willow tree.

She went sprawling, the musty dirt of the graveyard smudging her black dress and the tiny rocks scrapping her arms.

She pushed herself up to her knees and hugged herself, shivering.

She whimpered. A wild sob was lodged in her throat and it felt like it was chocking on it. She felt like she'd never be able to get it out, like she'd be locked like this forever, desperate and silent.

She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and sucked in a frantic breath.

The first sob racked her entire body. She choked on the second one and then they began to pour out of her.

She hugged herself as tightly as she could, hot tears falling down her face as she rocked back and forth, crying for everything she'd lost. Everything that had been stolen from her. Everything that should have been hers, for her parents, for her past, for the future rising before her.

For the emptiness she felt inside.

"You there! Girl!" called an emotionless voice. "Shut up!"

Rin was startled out of her tears. Looking around she blinked in surprise. She'd stumbled into the most ancient part of the cemetery, with large mausoleums, crumbling in disrepair. Tombstones that were weathered till no name could be read. Piles of rock and ruble that had once been statues.

"Who said that?" she demanded, rising to her feet. "Who's there?"

"I did!"

She whirled around and stared in amazement at the man who'd come up behind her. His hair was a long silver curtain falling down his back. His kimono was white, with a sash and some minor armor. Over his shoulder was a huge, fluffy object, bearing some resemblance to a fat, fluffy snake. Tiger stripes adorned his cheeks and wrists and he wore a sword strapped at both hips. On his forehead he had a blue crescent moon, not quiet hidden by his slightly curled silver bangs.

Rin wiped her eyes furiously.

"I can see right through you!" she exclaimed.

"Your mother must be proud," he answered, no expression on his face.

Rin flinched at the word like it was a blow. Softly she mumbled, "She, she," she took a deep breath and forced herself to say it. She'd be saying it a lot more in her life. "She's dead!"

He didn't even blink.

"At least you have reasonable excuse to be here," was his response. "Leave!"

Rin was stung at the lack of emotion in his voice. He didn't care. Her world was over and he didn't care.

"Why don't you leave?" she demanded angrily. She pushed herself up and dusted off her stinging knees. "Why are you here?"

"I was put here," was his response. "And I can't leave so why don't you be a good girl and return to your grieving family?"

And then he seemed to disappear.

Rin ran to where she'd seen him disappear, but there was no of him, not a foot print, not even a glimpse of him. He'd really disappeared.

She looked around, but something caught her eye. A tall mausoleum with a crumbling wall, covered in vines and moss. The roots of the very willow she' d tripped on grew over it and around it, wrapping it in a wooden embrace. The crypt looked positively ancient.

She approached it cautiously. She suspected that tombs were something little girl's weren't supposed to touch. She crept forward. She spied a large hole. She stood on a large, bulging root and peered inside the tomb. She held onto it, steadying herself with her hands to look into the hole.

A hand came down on her shoulder.

She screamed and turned around, placing her hand against her hammering heart.

"Rin! What are you doing here?"

"Uncle Jaken!" she gasped, sucking in slow mouthfuls of air. "You scared me!"

"Come along Rin!" he snapped, grabbing her hand roughly. He tugged her away from the mausoleum. She reached out for it regretfully.

"Who's buried there uncle Jaken?" she asked him as he tugged her away, muttering about bad little girls who didn't do as they were told.

"How should I know?" he demanded in his shrill annoying voice. "I don't work here Rin!"

"Uncle Jaken!" she cried as he yanked her painfully towards her parent's tomb. "Uncle Jaken! I saw a man there! He was a tall man with silver hair and..."

"I don't want to here any lies Rin!" he snapped.

"But Uncle Jaken!" she protested offended that he would think she lied. "You're hurting my arm! And there was too a man! I could see him!"

"There was no one there Rin! You're imagining things!" he snapped, flinging her arm down and turning to glare at her.

He had large eyes that were a listless brown, he wasn't very tall at all, only four foot five or so and he wore a strange shaped hat, which his called a 'fez.'

"Uncle Jaken I saw someone!" she insisted. "I really did Uncle Jaken!"

"Don't be a fool Rin!" Jaken snapped, grabbing her by the shoulder so hard it hurt. They were fast approaching the fresh grave that now held her parents. "You didn't see anyone!"

She didn't say anything else as she was rudely shoved back towards the rest of the people who'd been at her parent's funeral.

She was forced to say thank you to everyone and be as polite as she could. People murmured about how brave she was being, but Rin ignored them. Her mind was now directed to the puzzling pale man.

"Uncle Jaken, why would someone have tiger stripes and a moon on their face?" she asked him suddenly as a nice woman wearing a black veil was giving her condolences.

"Why do you ask Rin?" Jaken demanded, tightening his grip on Rin's shoulder. She tried not to show how much it hurt.

"I was just wondering," she said vaguely, "I saw someone like that around somewhere and I was curious."

"He's probably a clown sweety," the nice woman said. She turned back to Jaken. "When are you returning to the United States?"

"Canada," Jaken corrected. "And Rin and I will be flying back at the end of the week. I think it's best for her to get a new start in a new place."

Rin's attention had been refocused on the bleakness of her parent's passing by the question of going to Canada. She stared at the tomb stone and swallowed hard. It was going to hurt to leave her parents behind.

'I don't want a new start,' she thought glumly. 'I want my old life!'

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A/N So yeah. How was it? I think it might have been over done in some places, but you know. So helpful hints and suggestions are welcome! Please let me know if I start getting too angsty and pass from deep to just plain whiny! 


	2. Fluffy

A/N Here ya go folks. The next chapter of the Burden of Two swords... if you can think up a better name I'll give you a digi-doughnut, a virtual-hug and a cyber-muffin! As I was working on this thingy I came to a conclusion. I don't give a rat's ass if there's misspelling, or bad sentence structure or huge glaring grammatical problems, because if I ever have to force myself to write something this long without someone getting hit, or sarcasm, or Jaken bashing.... I'm going to cry! This was painful like you couldn't believe folks! So enjoy it!

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"Hurry up Rin!" Uncle Jaken ordered impatiently, stomping his foot and eyeing his watch.

But Rin still couldn't make up her mind.

Uncle Jaken, in a bizarre bout of kindness had told Rin she could buy one new toy to take with her to Canada for the move.

Rin wasn't quite sure what she wanted. Did she want a new Barbie? Or some kind of board game? Or something else entirely?

"Rin!" Uncle Jaken barked. "Her shift ends in ten minutes!"

Rin paused, while examining some board games.

"Who's shift ends in ten minutes Uncle Jaken?" Rin asked him curiously.

Uncle Jaken actually flushed a deep rusty, unhealthy shade of red.

"Never mind!" Uncle Jaken snapped. "Now just pick out a damn toy!"

Rin gaped at her petit uncle. Never had her parents used such strong language in front of her. She knew about words like 'damn' naturally. Any child who watched television did. But her parents were very, very firm about not using bad language in front of her.

Normally Rin would have been shocked and delighted to hear someone swear. Just now though, it was a terrible reminder. Who would be there to make sure she was a good girl? And didn't use bad words? Who would look out for Rin? And make sure she was raised properly.

Not Uncle Jaken.

She walked away from Uncle Jaken as quickly as she could. Tears filling her eyes.

If Uncle Jaken caught her crying again, he might get mad and not let her get a new toy to take with her to Canada.

She soon found herself strolling in the stuffed animal section.

Normally she would have sniffed and turned up her nose because big girls didn't play with stuffed animals. But this wasn't normally. As she walked, running her fingers over the fluffy toys, she wondered if maybe she didn't want a stuffed animal. Something to hold onto. Something that she could sleep with. Something warm, something to cry into.

But what to get?

She saw rabbits, dogs, cats, teddy bears, horses, a few moose and various other random stuffed animals. She wandered down the racks. Her tears already drying as she tried to pick out the perfect stuffed animal.

She was about to decide on a large fluffy white bear, almost as big as her, when she decided she really needed to think about this choice.

Since she was going to need this toy to make her feel safe, and warm and maybe even loved, she had to choose it very, very carefully.

A sudden idea popped into her head.

She ran down the racks, looking for Uncle Jaken.

She spied him talking to a lady behind a cashier.

"Rin," Uncle Jaken called in dismay. "You haven't picked a toy yet?"

"I'm sorry Uncle Jaken," Rin apologized. "But I'm looking for a very special toy!"

Uncle Jaken snorted in disbelief.

But the pretty lady behind the counter only smiled.

"Do you know what you want?" the pretty lady asked Rin.

"Yes ma'am," Rin nodded. Remembering her manners. "But I am not sure if you have it!"

"Well what are you looking for dear?" the pretty lady asked.

"I am looking for a white tiger stuffed animal," Rin answered. Trying to use her very best grammar and be very polite. Her mother had always said 'Rin, you catch more flies with honey then you do with vinegar. And politeness is the sweetest kind of honey!'

Rin wasn't entirely sure why anyone would want to catch flies, but her mother was never wrong!

"Well," said the pretty lady. "Here comes my replacement!"

She came out from around the cashier.

"So how about I help you find just the perfect toy?"

Rin stared at the pretty lady, her eyes getting wider and rounder.

"Would you really?" Rin asked. She could hardly believe it.

"Of course sweety!" the pretty lady said, offering Rin her hand. "Come on let's go!"

She looked over her shoulder.

"Are you coming Jaken?" she asked the short man.

"O...o...of course!" Jaken stuttered. He caught up with them as they marched purposely down the racks of stuffed animals. Searching for just the right one.

The pretty lady found several tiger stuffed animals. But none were white. As time wore on, Rin began to feel very discouraged.

She expected Uncle Jaken to complain, but instead, he seemed to like spending time with the pretty lady.

"I think this is the last tiger," the pretty lady said with a sigh.

Rin felt tears begin to prickle her eyes. She couldn't understand why though. She scrubbed at her eyes to keep the tears why.

She'd just have to chose one toy and live with it. She was very thankful the pretty lady had wanted to help her and didn't want to make her feel sad.

"Um..." Rin said softly. "I'll just pick one of these then!"

"Why did you want a white tiger anyway?" Uncle Jaken demanded. "Orange and black ones are much prettier."

"I saw a man with stripes on his face and little crescent moon here," Rin said touching her forehead. "I kind of wanted to find a toy like that!"

"Where did you see this man?" the pretty lady asked.

Rin cast a look at Uncle Jaken. He hadn't believed her when she told him about the man in the cemetery. Did she really want to tell another adult who would just scoff at her?

"I...I saw him in a dream," Rin whispered. Her hushed voice quavered. She didn't want to lie to the pretty lady, but no one believed her when she told the truth.

The pretty lady smiled.

"It must have been a very special dream then," the pretty lady said straightening up. "A crescent moon here you say?" she asked touching her forehead.

"Um hmm!" Rin nodded.

The pretty lady frowned, but then her face cleared and she smiled.

"I think I have an idea!" the pretty lady said in excitement. "Come on!"

She grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her to a set of double doors that said 'do not enter.' The pretty lady boldly pushed the doors open, pulling Rin along with her.

They entered a dimly lit store room with lots of machinery and boxes of every size.

"Hey Chika!" called a man dressed in dirty coveralls. "What are you doing back here?"

"This little lady is on her way to Canada to live with her Uncle Jaken!" the pretty lady, who's name was apparently Chika responded. "You know that shipment of toys we got? Those stuffed dogs? Can we take a look at them? Please?"

The man in dirty coveralls nodded. He motioned for them to follow him to the very back of the store room. There, stood four large boxes. Almost as tall as Rin and as wide as they were tall.

"Those are almost big enough to be a house for you aren't they?" Chika asked her with a sly grin.

"Almost!" Rin agreed with a giggle.

The man in the coveralls opened the top of the box with a knife. Slitting along the packing tape. He opened the flaps and stepped aside to they could see the box's contents. In a large plastic bag, to protect them from dust particles that might have gotten through the box, were stacks of stuffed toys.

Rin peered at them through the package.

"They're dogs," she said unnecessarily.

"Yes," agreed Chika. "But look at this!"

She manipulated a stuffed toy through the plastic so they could see it's head.

"There's a moon!" Rin said happily. Her face fell. "But it's pink!"

"There are other colors!" Chika told her. "Yamato, can you open another one? We're looking for a doggy with a..." she trailed off and looked at Rin.

"A blue crescent moon!" Rin finished.

Chika nodded.

Yamato, the man in the coveralls nodded and opened a second box. That one had green crescent moons. The next box had yellow. It wasn't until the fourth box they found the dogs with blue crescent moons.

Rin laughed happily and clapped her hands.

"That's just the right colour!" she said excitedly.

Smiling Yamato cut the plastic and retrieved a dog for her.

It was an all white dog, maybe a wolf. Some kind of canine with a long fluffy tail and a very fluffy tummy. The fur on it's back wasn't so long as the fur on it's tummy, but it was just as soft. And of course, there was the crescent moon.

"Do you want this one then sweety?" Chika asked.

Rin looked up at her with perfectly round eyes and nodded very seriously. Chika laughed and impulsively hugged the sweet little girl.

"Well, let's go ring him through!" Chika said rising to her feet and taking Rin's hand.

"Thank you Mr. Yamato!" Rin said to the man in coveralls.

"No problem kid," he answered with a shrug and a laugh. Chika winked at Yamato and hurried Rin and Jaken out of the storeroom, to the cashier.

The teenage boy rang the stuffed toy through. Rin hated to let it leave her grasp even for a second but she had to let it go, so it could be price checked.

Chika laughed at her anxious expression as her new toy was put into a plastic bag and the receipt was handed to her Uncle Jaken. Finally, Rin was handed the plastic bag, where her brand new friend was.

"Thank you very much!"Rin said, clutching her purchase tightly.

"Thank you for coming today Rin!" Chika laughed, ruffling he girl's hair. "What do you think you're going to name him?"

"I'm going to call him Fluffy!" Rin responded with huge satisfaction.

Uncle Jaken snorted at calling a toy that, but Rin ignored him. Her only thoughts were on her new toy, and introducing her new protector to her parents. She was certain that they would want to meet their daughter's new champion.

"Can I put the flowers on their grave Uncle Jaken?" Rin asked.

They were visiting her parent's graves. Soon they'd be going to Canada. Much, much too soon. The next day in fact. She hadn't been back to the cemetery since the funeral. She had begged Uncle Jaken to let her come and say goodbye. He'd finally relented, but not until the evening of the day before they were to leave.

"Whatever you want Rin!" Jaken said thrusting the flowers at her. Apparently not caring in the least.

Rin had to shift her grip on Fluffy. Her now constant accomplice.

She proudly walked towards her parent's graves and placed the potted plant they'd brought between them.

"Hi mom and dad," she whispered softly. Tears prickling behind her eyes suddenly. Her pride over being able to balance the plant and Fluffy now evaporated. Consumed by her sadness and loneliness.

"I have to go to Canada tomorrow," Rin whispered, wiping her eyes. "And stay with Uncle Jaken. He lives next to a Japanese shrine though. And I won't be going alone." She showed them Fluffy. Holding him proudly. "This is Fluffy," she said. "He's a dog, or maybe a wolf! But he's going to protect me! He's my new best friend and now I won't be alone in Canada. So you won't have to worry!"

She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. But it wasn't enough. Hot tears kept rolling down her face.

Her vision swam with them.

"Daddy, all those lessons you gave me in English will really help! And I'll be really good! And I'll be polite and I'll remember everything mommy told me. So don't worry okay? I'm be alright! I have Uncle Jaken and Fluffy!"

Her parent's didn't respond.

And they never would.

Rin clutched Fluffy to her little chest.

"I love you!" Rin cried suddenly. "I love you don't worry!"

She turned around and fled.

"Rin!" Uncle Jaken called after her as she shot passed him.

She just ran and ran and ran.

Like she had at the funeral.

The hurt was just as bad, but the desperation had dimmed. She finally came to a stop, breathing hard, and clutching Fluffy to her.

Tears continued to burn her eyes and leave their salty trails down her cheeks, but her franticness had fled. Leaving her weak limbed and trembling. Overcome with hurt and sorrow, but with no more will to run.

Gulping back sobs Rin surveyed the cemetery below.

Even in the dimness of the evening she could see how lush the carpet of emerald grass was. See how well taken care of the tombstones were. She could even see someone in worn overalls tending to the flowers beside a grave.

The grave keeper.

"I guess mommy and daddy will be taken care of," Rin whispered. But it didn't make her feel better.

She heard a sound behind her. She turned and frowned.

She'd run towards the oldest part of the cemetery again. She was no where near a far as she had been the day of the funeral, but in the waning light, she could see the tree she'd tripped over.

She sniffed one last time and wiped her eyes. She rubbed her face against Fluffy's soft fur to work up her courage and began to slowly approach it.

Rin slowly, carefully approached the old tree. Wondering what that sound was she'd heard. Deciding she'd imagined something she resolved to put it from her mind. Then she heard it again.

Soft and repetitive. Like a small dog running on a floor.

Rin stopped to listen.

All she could hear was her own frightened breathing and the pounding of her little heart. For a long time she stood perfectly still. She began to slowly, cautiously approach the tree again.

She hugged her toy tightly.

She heard a sharp sound, like someone giving a sharp exhalation of breath.

Rin whirled around and watched as a dark shape ducked behind a tomb stone.

"Hhello?" she called out weakly. "Are.... are you the grave keeper?"

She got no response.

"It must be my imagination," Rin whispered to herself. Her voice seemed so weak and fragile. She closed her mouth and continued walking forward.

She gasped and jumped as she heard that strange, padded, drumming sound again.

"I'll be okay," she whispered, stroking Fluffy's fur. "It'll be okay Fluffy!"

She tried to ignore her own fear by comforting Fluffy. The poor little dear must be very scared after all. He wasn't as big as Rin.

"I'll protect you Fluffy!" Rin said to her toy, hunching her shoulders. "I'll protect you. But just this once! Okay? From now on, it's your job to protect me!"

She felt a puff fo hot air on her neck. She turned around slowly. Rigidly.

All she could see in the dusky glow of sun set was two, burning, red eyes.

She took a deep breath and screamed.

She turned around and started running.

Rin clung to Fluffy as if her life depended on it and ran. She didn't hear anyone pursuing, or hear any other strange drumming sounds but she didn't slow down.

She ran as fast as she could.

Her heart hammering with exertion and fear. No matter how fast she ran, her mind screamed at her to go faster. Tears blurred her vision. She wiped her eyes frantically, but her loss of concentration cost her dearly.

Her left foot mistimed and she felt herself pitching forward. She screamed and fell forward. Before she even hit the ground, she felt several shapes converge on her.

Floating in the dark grey, where ghosts and spirits who haven't passed on yet gathered their energy, he could fell a strange pulse.

The Tensaiga pulsed at his right hip. Urging him out of the grey. Urging him to take up his task.

His eyes opened.

The cemetery solidified around him as he excited the grey. Before him, not quite thirty feet away three shadow ghouls clustered around a shrieking child.

He drew the Tensaiga with a ringing sound.

The shadow ghouls paused, still hovering over the child.

Repulsive creatures made of darkness, the blood of the damned and spun together by the will of a miko. There were nothing but shadows with more substance, and an insatiable appetite for blood.

Especially that of children and virgins.

He needn't fear such weak creatures, being a specter, but the child they clustered around had great reason to be afraid.

He closed his eyes and shuddered as the Tensaiga's will washed over him. Not as violent as the Toukijin, but no less insistent. The Tensaiga would protect the innocent. Would defend those who could not defend themselves. And he was it's instrument.

Calmly, with no effort at all, he slashed through the shadow ghouls. Let they out disturbing wet moans before dissolving into dark lumps on the ground. Nothing but black, clotted blood.

The child let out a horrified sound and jumped up, wiping the black lumps off of her frantically. She hugged a white toy of some sort to her chest.

"It's you!" she whispered, her eyes going wide. "I met you the day of my parent's funeral!"

She did look rather familiar.

Yes.

She was the one who'd woken him from the grey with her sobbing.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded her. "A cemetery is no place for a child!"

"I came to give my parent's flowers and introduce them to Fluffy!" she replied, holding up her toy.

He was not impressed.

A ridiculous statement, about a ridiculous toy.

"Your parents are dead and he's not even real!" he replied calmly. "Introductions are hardly necessary!"

"I don't care if they're dead!" she shot back with venom, surprising for such a sweet looking child. "I still wanted them to meet Fluffy!" She clung to the toy. "And don't say mean things about him! You'll hurt his feelings!"

Her voice cracked and she dissolved into helpless sobs. Suggesting it was not Fluffy's feelings which needed to be treated with care.

Deep, rumbling laughter filled the cemetery. Coming from every direction at once.

"Yes. You'll hurt his feelings!" agreed a low, monotonous voice. "And we mustn't have that!"

He seemed to weave himself out of shadows.

Tall with long dark hair. His skin was as pale as death and his eyes the same burning red as the shadow ghoul's. He dressed archaically in a blue kimono with a slashing V-neck line. Almost to his waist. Displaying his strong chest, but more importantly, the necklace of black beads alternating with what looked like small fangs. He was unarmed, but not an opponent to be taken lightly.

There was something about him.

Something familiar.

"It has taken years," the raven haired stranger said. "Centuries in fact. But I have finally found you!"

"I'm afraid your journey has been for naught," he replied. Sheathing the Tensaiga he drew the Toukijin.

Hate coursed through his insubstantial being. So tangible, he could almost feel it. But of course, he hadn't felt anything in centuries.

"I'm afraid your journey ends here!"

Gliding across the landscape, he slashed at the stranger. There was a flash of red light, marking the Toukijin's path to slash the new comer in two.

The new comer grunted and stumbled back. Clutching his chest as his blood poured out onto the ground.

The wielder of the swords watched with calm eyes as the stranger's blood gushed in a small water fall to the ground. Too much blood for a human.

"Demon," he said to himself.

"Is your memory returning?" the demon asked as his flesh began to close beneath his very hand.

A slight frown creased the Tiger Lord's face.

"Is my memory returning?" he frowned.

His moment's distraction was all it took for the demon to gather power into himself and release it.

The Toukijin, was blown from the Tiger Lord's hand. Embedding itself in the large willow tree that stood next to his tomb.

More and more power surged out of the demon. Destroying anything in it's path. The Tiger Lord's tomb, the tomb stones behind that. Tear up the earth. Digging a trench.

Through the torrent of savage power, tearing through the earth, and through him, the Tiger Lord stood calmly. His hair not even stirred by the force of the demons powers, which passed harmlessly through him.

Rin was hiding behind the tree, staring in amazement at the scene before her. The stranger, who'd been called a demon seemed to be blasting pure power at the pale man. And yet it had as little effect as the sword slash had.

It looked like a battle between good and evil.

The pale man, completely white, from his hair to his clothing could almost pass as some sort of being from the heavens. The demon, with black hair, and a dark kimono was some kind of dark warrior from the darkest pits of hell.

Before her the very earth was being torn to shreds, and all she could do was watch. Whimpering in fear.

Finally the blasts of power ended and the demon relaxed.

The Tiger Lord calmly held out his hand towards the tree. Rin watched as the sword embedded in the trunk glowed bright red, and flew to his hand. Whistling through the air as it went. The Tiger Lord caught his sword and held it between himself and the demon, point down.

"It is useless for us to fight," the Tiger Lord said calmly. "You cannot kill what is already dead, and I cannot kill a demon a powerful as you. This fighting will serve no purpose."

"I can wear you out until you return to the grey!" the demon responded.

"I can draw on energy from the swords," the Tiger Lord answered.

Rin swallowed hard. She didn't understand what was going on. She ducked back behind her tree, breathing hard. She realized that she didn't have Fluffy anymore. He'd been torn out of her grip as she ducked behind the tree.

She almost cried at the loss.

'I wish I'd stayed with the Toad-Man!' she moaned silently. Thinking almost longingly of her Uncle Jaken.

Rin looked around for her stuffed animal, and an escape. Hoping to get Fluffy and get out of there before they noticed her. As Rin looked to her right, she spied a small white, fluffy mound.

It was getting dark. Almost too dark for her to see by. Careful to keep low to the ground she crept towards it. Rin stopped, holding her breath. To reach Fluffy she would have to leave the safety of the tree's shadow. And venture into the rouble of what once was the Tiger Lord's tomb.

She gathered up her courage and bolted forward. She fell to the ground beside her stuffed animal. She frowned. Laying beside Fluffy was a shiny object. He knew she didn't have time to be curious, so she snatched Fluffy and snatched the object, to examine later.

Her little fist had closed around the shiny object when a new voice said,

"What a charming child, is she yours?"

Rin stiffened and looked up.

Walking out of the shadows behind the demon was a woman. Dressed in the same way that Rin had seen in pictures of priestesses.

"Her parent died," the Tiger Lord answered in his serene, expressionless way. "Now she refuses to leave the cemetery!"

"How tragic," the demon said with a laugh. "Perhaps the little dear would care to join them?"

Rin whimpered in fright. She buried her face in Fluffy's fur, braced for an attack. She tried to order herself to run, but she trembled so badly she wondered if she would be able to stay upright, let alone flee.

All Rin could do was whimper, and pray.

The three adults seemed content to allow her to do just that. Turning their attention back to one another.

"Now phantom!" said the woman. "I believe you have something of mine!"

"I doubt that," the Tiger Lord answered calmly.

"Ah," the woman said, disagreeing. "But you do!"

Rin swallowed hard, and wondered what th Tiger Lord cold have, that belonged to this woman.

"Unfortunately," the woman continued. "I don't think you're going to let me have it. After all. Centuries after your own death you're still defending it."

"Your demon cannot hurt me," the Tiger Lord said calmly.

The woman smiled.

It was a hungry, vicious smile.

"I don't need him for this," she replied with a smile.

She held out her hand.

A strange sound filled the air as dozens of long, blue dragon like creatures flew towards the Tiger Lord.

'What are those things?' Rin wondered in horror as they coiled around the Tiger Lord. The Tiger Lord grunted as they wrapped around him, painfully tight. Holding his arms, legs, head and torso immobile.

"Have you ever met a soul eater?" the woman asked the Tiger Lord in a taunting voice. "I rater doubt it, otherwise you'd be begging for mercy right now!"

The strange whirling sound increased tenfold and the soul eaters began to glow blue.

Rin watched, quaking in horror and fear. Almost paralyzed by it. Rin rose to her feet and began backing away, watching as the Tiger Lord writhed appearing to be in quite some pain.

She turned tail and ran like a loosened arrow, as soon as the screaming started.

The Tiger Lord screamed in pain as the soul eaters attempted to rip him apart. After centuries of feeling nothing, he was unprepared for the sensation of pain. As a ghost, one of the dead who still walked to earth, he shouldn't have been able to feel pain.

Shouldn't feel these creatures rip him slowly into a million pieces. Shouldn't be able to feel the crushing oblivion, rising up around. He shouldn't even be able to feel excruciating, mind-crushing pain.

But he could.

He wasn't being killed. He was beyond that now. Now, he was being annihilated. Every essence of him was being crushed out of existence in the most painful way imaginable.

He could feel himself, hovering on the yawning edge of oblivion. About to be dragged down into complete nothing by these soul eaters, but instead, right before he could be thrown into the abyss something happened.

Like a hook behind his navel he felt something jerk him back.

For a split second he could feel an invisible tether he'd forgotten even existed. A connection he'd never assumed could save his soul.

Before the soul eater could finish their task, he was yanked into the grey and out of the mortal realm.

Out of the grasp of the soul eaters.

"I suppose he wasn't as strong as we expected," Kikyo murmured, calling back her soul eaters. They coiled around her lovingly. She stroked their heads like they were affectionate pets and she their owner.

She turned to the demon as her side.

"After your failure five hundred years ago, this is your chance to begin making it up to me, Naraku."

"Yes m'lady Kikyo," the demon responded bowing to her respectfully.

"Find the talisman and let's go," Kikyo said, waving her hand at the rubble.

"Yes m'lady Kikyo," he agreed.

Kikyo rested her head against the snout of a soul eater as her demonic servant held out his hand. All the rubble and bits of rock in the trench he had made rose into the air.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes.

"I don't see it, do you Naraku?" she demanded him with an edge to her voice.

"No m'lady Kikyo," he replied. Dropping the rubble into a heap.

He stood calmly, waiting for her next order.

An insufferable smirk on his pale lips.

Kikyo felt her eyes narrow.

Naraku. He was as intolerable as he was useful. This cold demon's hate for her was no mystery. His apparent obedience stemmed only from the fact he was chained to her and she could cause him pain.

Dreadful, blinding pain.

"Where did the talisman go Naraku?" she demanded him.

"Your guess is as good as mine, m'lady Kikyo," he answered with a hint of mockery in his voice. "You know as well as I, only mikos can sense the shards of what used to be the Shikon jewel, and that gold encasing around it is etched with spells so it is invisible to your miko senses."

"But he guards the talisman!" Kikyo shrilled. "The Tiger Lord guards the golden case that houses the Shikon jewel! How can he be here if the talisman is not?"

"How indeed?" Naraku purred with a smirk. "Tell me m'lady Kikyo how a five hundred year-old dead man, with no emotions, who cannot leave this area managed to defeat you? Oh wise and powerful miko!"

Kikyo's face turned hard.

"Writhe!" she whispered.

Naraku's eyes went wide and he grabbed the beads around his neck.

They began to glow with red light.

Naraku fell to his knees, crying out in pain. Tugging frantically on the beads around his neck. But even his demon strength could not break them.

"Five hundred years ago, when I first summoned you, you failed me!" Kikyo said conversationally, ignoring his pain. "Now, when you get your chance to redeem yourself, you fail me yet again!"

Naraku's breath was coming in short, strangled gasp. She tightened her fist and the pain intensified. He cried out.

Kikyo smiled dreamily at the sound.

"And worse then merely failing me," she continued. "You mock me! I sometimes don't get the feeling you understand what I'm trying to do!" She turned to face the man, writhing on the ground in unbearable pain.

If she cared one ounce for his suffering, her face did not display it. Nor did her voice.

"Naraku," she said, her voice a sweet caress. Her hand tightened again. The pain flared worse, making him cry out once more. "Naraku do I have your attention?"

The demon gave her a look filled with such murderous rage, it could've stopped a beating heart cold.

Luckily for her, she didn't have a heart.

"Naraku now this is important," she continued in her sensual voice. "I need to have your full attention!"

He cried out again as she tightened her fist a third time.

Sensing his attention was fully on her, Kikyo began to explain to him, yet again why they needed to find the jewel.

"The Shikon jewel is a power house," she said. Repeated what the demon already knew. "The Shikon jewel contains more raw energy then any one person knows what to do with it. The Shikon can destroy or build whatever it's wielder desires." Her face darkened. "Unfortunately some genius forged the talisman which blinds anyone from sense the Shikon, and then the Toukijin and the Tensaiga to protect the Shikon jewel, and keep it from falling into th wrong hands."

She looked at her own hands in the darkness. It was now fully dark, and her pale skin seemed luminous in the night. She curled her fingers into fists. Inadvertently making Naraku scream.

She cast an amused smile at him and relaxed her hands, ending his pain.

The demon sagged against the ground weakly.

He breathed raggedly, rubbing his neck protectively. Demons did not sweat, but she suspected if he could, his shirt would be soaked in it.

He coughed harshly and spit.

Naraku tried to say something, but broke off into a vicious fit of coughing.

Kikyo sighed in annoyance.

"What was that again Naraku?" she demanded him in exasperation. "I couldn't hear you over your pathetic coughing fit!"

"I said," he growled. "The child!"

Kikyo frowned.

"What do you mean the child?" she demanded.

"I mean the child!" Naraku spat. "The child that was just here!"

Kikyo stared at him, blinking in surprise.

"The child," she whispered suddenly realizing it. "That little brat will pay!"

She needed something to vent her rage on. Looking around her eyes fell on Naraku. Her anger boiled over. She pointed at him and shrilled,

"WRITHE!"

* * *

A/N Whoo! Hold me that was hard! Behold the fruits of my labor of my last day of summer! Clearly it was well spent. I'm serious folks, I want a better title for this story. The Burden of Two Swords sounds more like the title of a story rather then the title of this story.

Hey! Remember this line?

Hate coursed through his insubstantial being. So tangible, he could almost feel it. But of course, he hadn't felt anything in centuries.

You wanna what I originally typed there and I had to fight myself to change?

Hate ran through his being like liquid runs through pips.

Is that not the absolute best metaphor you've ever heard in your life? It's the best in the world right?

Anyone want to go swimming through a hubcap full of infected toenails? Then every morning we can awake to a pain in our hearts that is as intense as a fire in a lingerie factory.

You can find the genius who came up with these great metaphors here. Read this Harry Potter Parody, you will not regret ?fic=rid:/authors/cchowder/UHPCC05.html


	3. Unlucky in Love and Unskilled in Magic!

A/N Super Ceech edited this for me. It'll never happena gain so don't get used to good grammar and correct sentence structure! You may or may not notice a large percentage of these characters are OOC! Cough cough! Anyway! So I hope you like it. It's about twelve pages or something, so it's a decent length right? Well... enjoy!

* * *

Rin looked down on her Japan as her plane took off. She clutched Fluffy tightly to her chest. Soaring among the clouds the plane was taking her to her new life in Canada. Rin never thought she would see the day where she would be glad to leave her home behind. After last night though.... she wasn't sure she'd ever feel safe again. At least not until she was far away. 

Rin snuggled down into her seat.

She stroked her cheek in Fluffy's softness.

Uncle Jaken was snoring away loud enough to disturb the other passengers. She gave her uncle a look, but otherwise chose not to pay him any attention. Rin cast a look around the plane. No one seemed to be paying the small child any notice. Carefully she snuck the pretty little container out of her pocket.

It was oval, about the size of her palm and it was golden with a strange, muted sheen. There were letters etched into the metal, glittering a strange purplish pink. As Rin watched, certain points glittered brighter then others, winking in and out like stars.

She kept it hidden in her lap so no one else would see it.

A flash of guilt washed over her. She knew she shouldn't have taken it, but she didn't want to go back to the cemetery to return it. Even though her parents were buried there, she didn't want to go back ever!

.:V:.

"I'm a fox!"

Kagome sniffed and rolled over in bed to regard the small child standing proudly in her room. Dressed like a little fox spirit in a story book, Shippou refused to take off his Halloween costume. Including the large powderpuff fox tail.

Kagome sniffed and dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex.

"You sure are, Shippou," she agreed. She gave a watery smile and hoped it was enough.

She should have known. Ever since she'd stumbled across the poor little orphan last year Shippou had been her shadow and her friend. Despite the vast age difference, Shippou knew her better then anyone else. Except maybe for Buyo.

Remembering her fat cat, she stroked his fur.

The feline only purred and closed his eyes.

"God, I envy you Buyo!" Kagome gasped, a fresh wave of tears taking over her. She lay her head down on her cat's side. Wishing that his rumbling purrs could drown out the sound of her newly awakened tears and could dispel the awful pain in her heart.

Shippou jumped onto the bed beside her and lay down next to her as he stroked her hair with big sad eyes for her pain.

Kagome had to smile through her tears. Not even Shippou could make this better though. Nothing could make this better.

**_.:Flash back music! Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh!:._**

"Look at that bracelet!" Eri gasped, eyeing Kagome's wrist. "Wow! A charm bracelet!"

Kagome blushed and nodded as Eri and Ayumi crowded around her, trying to get a better look at the bracelet around Kagome's wrist.

It was a silver charm bracelet. So far the only charm was one of a heart. But that didn't matter. Hojo had given it to her. And that was all that mattered.

Every time she thought about Hojo she got a warm glowing feeling. He made her feel so special and cared for, constantly worried about her and always listening when she had something to say. He was definitely the cutest boy at school, but it wasn't just empty good looks. He had a really sensitive face and large innocent eyes, like a child's.

She felt like she could really bare her soul to him.

"So what's the occasion?" Ayumi asked Kagome.

"Our three month marker," Kagome answered proudly.

Eri and Ayumi smiled.

"Wow!" Eri said impressed. "I mean in the scheme of things, that's not long, but for highschool..." she shook her head and laughed sheepishly for getting too technical. "And you guys seem like you're as into one another as you were when this whole thing began!"

Ayumi sighed noisily and glared at Eri.

"Dating someone is not a 'thing!'" she said in exasperation. "It's a relationship! You meant to say when this relationship started!"

"What's wrong with calling it a thing?" Eri demanded. In self defense she added. "It is a thing!"

Ayumi gave Kagome a look that said Eri just didn't get it.

"She is so hopeless sometimes!" Ayumi muttered to Kagome. "Everyone knows dating is not a thing! It's a fling at its most casual. Marriage at its most serious. In no way shape or form is it a 'thing!'"

Eri sighed just as lustily as Ayumi had moments before.

"Ayumi you need a hobby!" she declared to her friend, giving her a stare. "I mean who cares one way or another?"

Ayumi looked down right insulted. Planting her hands on her hips she responded,

"I care. And so does Kagome!" Ayumi turned to the third girl who was giggling helplessly over her friends' arguments. "You care, right, Kagome?"

"Sure," kagome laughed.

She shook her head.

She just felt so buoyant! Even Eri and Ayumi's petty squabbling could only amuse her on a day like today. It was her three month mark with Hojo. Three months since they had first gone steady and he told her he had a surprise for her today.

She smiled blissfully.

"I'm going to go find Hojo!" Kagome said.

Eri and Ayumi stopped in the middle of their little spat. Looking a little surprised. Ayumi's face cleared first and she nodded.

"Sure thing!" she agreed. "We'll see you tomorrow!"

"And we want all the sordid details!" Eri agreed with a laugh.

Kagome laughed, her face heating up a little, thinking to herself. 'There won't be any sordid details. Hojo respects me too much for that!'

Kagome waved to her friends and began to trace her steps back to the school.

After class had ended, she, Ayumi and Eri had clustered outside the school, but Hojo hadn't walked passed them, so Kagome knew he must still be in the school.

Kagome's mind was elsewhere, on Hojo in fact, so she didn't realize how late it was. She wrapped her hand around the door handle and tugged firmly to yank the door open.

She blinked in surprise as she met resistence. She tugged a second time. Sure enough, the door would not budge.

Kagome frowned and checked her watch. Rolling her eyes she made an exasperated sound in the back of her throat.

"Locked the doors!" she muttered to herself. "Fine!" she muttered with a sigh. "I'll go around!"

It was a well known fact that the door by the custodian's office was never locked. Hardly anyone every went there though, unless they were a smoker.

It was the unofficial smoking court and had been for years. The pavement of the entire area was littered with cigarette butts from possibly years ago. They were never cleaned up. Everyone just ignored this little expanse of blacktop behind the school.

The faculty, the janitors and all non-smokers pretended it never existed. It was however quite useful if one wanted to get into the school a little later on. If one forgot a book, say.

Kagome was still thinking of the date planned with Hojo. Still dreamily thinking of her hunky boyfriend. Wondering what surprise he had in store for her tonight.

She rounded the corner and stopped, blinking in surprise.

Hojo was standing with his back to her. His hands shoved in his pockets. Kagome stifled a giggle. He was completely unsuspecting. She held her breath and prepared to sneak up on him and grab him.

She heard the door swing open. Kagome winced and ducked back behind the corner. She didn't want to get caught after all. That would totally ruin the fun of sneaking up on Hojo.

After a second she realized how this must look to any bystanders. Taking a deep breath Kagome stepped out around the corner, hoping that Hojo was still looking away and that she wouldn't collide with whoever had come out the door.

'So that's where Yuka has been,' Kagome thought to herself as she watched Yuka, one of her best friends shift her backpack to a more comfortable position, chatting with Hojo. 'I was sort of wondering...'

Kagome took a deep breath to call out their names.

Hojo moved and Kagome stopped breathing all together.

In slow motion she watched as her boyfriend reached out and grabbed her friend around the waist. Pulling her tightly against him and capturing her mouth with his.

It was like the world stood still.

All she could see were two people locked in a passionate embrace. Two people who she was supposed to be able to trust.

Kagome felt her heart rip in two and tears burned her eyes. A thousand questions banged themselves against her skull, giving her a slight headache. How could they do this to her? How long had it been going on? When were they going to tell her? Were they going to tell her?

Slowly the questions ebbed away, as did her strength. She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the treas. Trying to tell herself that it didn't really hurt as much as it did.

She gasped raggedly.

There was a startled gasp.

"K-Kagome!" Hojo whispered. "Kagome it's not...!"

Kagome slowly, painfully opened her eyes.

She looked at him, unable to meet his eyes. She couldn't even look at Yuka.

"You were right," she whispered hoarsely. She swallowed heavily. "It was quite a surprise!"

**_.:End Flash Back! Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh!:._**

Kagome let her tears dry on her face. Buyo's purring had stopped a while ago and now the large cat was merely sleeping. Shippou shifted against Kagome, clearly bored, but unwilling to leave her so sad.

Kagome stroked his head.

"You're the only one I can trust, Shippou," Kagome whispered. "You, Mom, Grandpa, Buyo and sometimes Sota. I can't even trust Eri and Ayumi anymore. I mean I thought I could trust Yuka, but...."

She choked and fell silent. She closed her eyes, trying to block out her pain.

Distantly she could hear a doorbell ring. She wondered who could be visiting at this hour. Especially unannounced.

Distantly she could hear her mother answer the door.

The soft male voice who replied could not be mistaken.

Hojo!

"Can you please get Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi?" he asked quietly.

Kagome pushed herself up violently.

"Hey, Kagome!" Shippou protested. Even Buyo was startled awake and meowed in curiosity. "What's wrong, kagome?" Shippou demanded.

Kagome didn't answer.

Shock and betrayal coursed through her. Not only did Hojo do _that_ to her! With one of her best friends no less, but he actually had the gall to show up to her house the same day and ask her mother if he could talk to her!

"I don't think so, Hojo," her mother said with distant politeness. The same voice she used on door to door salesmen. "Kagome's quite upset. I think she needs time to calm down before she'll want to see you."

"Maybe if I could talk to her, I could make things better!" Hojo said anxiously.

"I'll tell her you stopped by," Kagome's mom said firmly. There was the faint sound of a door clicking shut and being locked.

Kagome smiled in fierce triumph over her mother's action.

Her happiness promptly evaporated when she realized her mother was right. She didn't just not want to see Hojo, she couldn't handle seeing him right now.

That sound filled her with even more sorrow.

Just a few hours ago, her heart had swelled with joy at the thought of seeing him. Now she cringed when she even thought of him.

With a frustrated shriek she grabbed her pillow and pressed her face into it. The horrible image of Hojo and Yuka kissing burned into her mind. Her broken hearted tears burned her eyes, but more importantly, her checks burned with shame.

What had she been doing wrong? Wasn't she good enough for Hojo? Was Yuka prettier then her or something? What was wrong with her?

"Kagome?" Shippou said in a panicked voice.

She felt his small hands on her back, but she couldn't stop her violent sobs long enough to tell him she was okay.

"Kagome?" Shippou whimpered. He tugged on her, but she couldn't stop. The sounds that escaped the pillow were muffled and tortured.

Shippou was obviously terrified for her. The little boy threw himself off the bed and ran to her door. He flung it open and it hit the wall with an echoing thud.

"Mrs. Higurashi!" Shippou screamed. "Kagome's dying!"

Kagome couldn't even corrected him. Because as terrible as she felt, for all she knew, she was dying.

"Oh, Kagome!" her mother sighed brokenly from her door. "Shippou, why don't you and Sota go play Smuchy Boys TV?"

"Smash Brother's Melee, Mrs. Higurashi!" Shippou corrected, with the exasperation of a child who can't understand why adults had such problems with concepts, so easy for him to grasp.

"It's mom now, Shippou," Kagome's mother corrected with a sigh. "You're adopted and officially part of the family!"

Shippou let out a happy hum and dashed off, presumably to play with Sota, or with grandpa.

Kagome was still rocking back and forth on her bed, sobbing as if to cry an ocean's worth of tears.

"Oh, Kagome!" her mother sighed again. "Off you go, Buyo," she said, setting the large cat on the ground.

Mrs. Higurashi sat down beside her daughter and pulled Kagome into her lap. Tugging the pillow away from her face.

Kagome was reluctant to let the pillow go but her mother would not let her keep it. Without anything to muffle her sobs, Kagome's own racked wails echoed around her bedroom.

"Oh, mom!" she blubbered as her mother wrapped her arms around Kagome. "Why does it have to hurt this much?"

"I don't know, Kagome," her mother whispered, stroking Kagome's hair gently as if Kagome was still a child. Her mother gave a wavering sigh. "I don't know why it hurts so much."

"How did you deal after dad left?" Kagome asked, managing to master her tears long enough to ask a simple question.

"Oh, Kagome, this is hardly like when your father left me," Mrs. Higurashi said. "After all, we'd been married fourteen years and had two children together."

"But I loved Hojo, mom," Kagome protested, wiping her eyes angrily. "How can you say it's not the same? You loved dad and I love Hojo! And they both... just..." she broke off with a ragged sob.

Mrs. Higurashi wrapped her arms tighter around her wounded daughter, murmuring gently. "I know this pain is all you can think of right now, Kagome," her mother said. "But you don't love Hojo. Not really."

Kagome tried to find her voice to protest to that violently.

"I know it feels like love!" Mrs. Higurashi said quickly. "But it isn't. Real love is based on not only on emotions and hormones, but time spent together."

"But we did spend time together!" Kagome moaned. Pressing her face into her mother's shoulder. "We did spend time together! And I thought...." she broke off with a suppressed sob choking her. "I thought he really cared for me too!"

"Oh, Kagome!" her mother sighed. "Sweety," she pushed Kagome back so the teenage girl looked into the loving eyes of her mother. "Sweety, I know it can feel like love and I know what it's like to feel like someone cares for you. But..." she shook her head. "If Hojo could do this to you, then maybe he didn't care enough about you!"

That was not what Kagome wanted to hear. Her sobbing became louder and she buried her face in her mother's shoulder.

"I'll be okay, Kagome!" her mother assured her. "I swear to you. It gets better then this!"

Kagome cried herself into an exhausted state. Finally her mother left her. Kissing her and telling Kagome how much she was loved by the members in her family.

Kagome smiled weakly because she knew it was what her mother wanted. But hearing her family say they loved her wasn't what Kagome wanted. She wanted Hojo to say it.

And though she was loath to admit it, hurt as she was, her pride was bruised. That someone could do that to her, like she wasn't good enough. It was like Hojo saying she was only a second class girl and didn't deserve all his loyalty and his love.

With a groan she buried her face in her pillow and screamed in frustration. The pillow muffled her scream as effectively as it had muffled her sobs. She couldn't seem to get the image of Hojo and Yuka in a passionate, heated lip lock, out of her head.

Kagome tossed and turned in aggravation. Trying to banish the image. Counting sheep, daydreaming about hot guys from movies and even going over algebra concepts. Anything and everything to fill her mind so there was no room for the image of her former boyfriend and former friend playing tonsel hockey.

She rolled over onto her front and dug her fingers into her scalp in growing agitation. She let out a discontented sound before whispering, pathetically, "He never kissed me like that!"

Kagome was suddenly angry she could even think such an unimportant thing. She pushed herself to her knees with one decisive gesture.

"Men are all dogs!" she said out loud with force in order to banish that pathetic whispered statement. Her room echoed silently. Kagome could almost hear her own voice whispering back, 'He never kissed me like that.'

She grit her teeth and repeated "Men are all dogs!" Something inside her twisted as her mind conjured up images of Sota, Shippou and Grandpa. With some measure of guilt she decided they didn't count because Sota and Shippou were boys and grandpa was grandpa!

Some of her conviction left her as she remembered her grandmother. A woman she had never met. Just as Kagome's own father had left Kagome and Sota with their mother and just walked away, Kagome's grandmother had walked away from grandpa decades earlier, leaving him to raise their daughter all by himself.

Kagome closed her eyes in shame, for thinking that only men could break hearts. All her strength left her limbs and she fell back into her bed sniffling pathetically. Her crushing sorrow wrapping around her once more.

"Hojo left me. Dad left mom," she moaned, fresh tears trickling down her face. "And grandma left grandpa! I guess my family is just cursed!"

Before she could sink to deeply into her own private pit of despair, a thought began to unfold slowly, like a puzzle gradually gaining shape. Suddenly the pieces joined. Grandma? Cursed?

Kagome's head snapped up. Her tears immediately forgotten.

"Grandma's spell book!" she whispered reverently in the darkness.

She was out of bed and hurrying down the hall before she knew what was going on. She carefully crept down the stairs. It was dark outside and it was mostly dark in the house. Shippou and Sota had probably been sent to bed early because of Kagome's little fit. Mom and grandpa, she could hear from the clinking of china, were in the kitchen, drinking tea and talking.

Kagome looked like other girls, talked like other girls and acted like other girls. However, she was not like other girls. Not only did she live on an authentic Japanese shrine, built in Canada for worship purposes for immigrants, but her grandfather was the chief supplier and go between for most of the serious magic practitioners in the area.

But that was only Kagome's environment. Kagome could be placed in a completely boring home, with normal, golf playing grandparents and she would still be different. Kagome, like her mother, and grandmother before them was an ancient kind of Japanese sorceress. Referred to most commonly as a miko, or priestess.

That meant not only was Kagome more sensitive to certain things then other girls her age, but with the right words, the right ingredients and the right intent, Kagome could do magic. Not just the wimpy magic of TV witches; hers was real, raw, ancient power. Honest to Buddha mumbo jumbo that could kill if she so willed it.

Not that she would, naturally. Her mother had raised her better than that. Besides, there was a threefold rule. Any bad energies out there that she released would come back and bite her in the ass three times as bad.

Her mother had terrified Kagome for years with tales of everything that could go wrong if Kagome tried black magic until the teenager was so terrified of the thought of black magic, she was loath to touch grandma's book. It hadn't been until Kagome had nightmares about that book that her mother had relented.

Her mother was kind of funny that way.

Kagome held her breath and tiptoed to the front door. She slipped her shoes onto her feet. Straining for sounds until her ears were ringing, she slowly and painstakingly turned the handle of the front door and gently edged it open. She then slid through and shut it carefully.

She looked around to get her bearings. Seeing grandpa's storage room off to the side of the house reaffirmed her purpose. Nodding to herself, she strode towards it, determination evident in every firm step, the way her arms swung and the tilt of her chin. There was something fierce, maybe even dangerous in her tear washed eyes.

She slid into the storage shed. She winced at the darkness. She fumbled around a bit for the light switch and flicked it on. The room before her, lined with shelves and stuffed with packing crates, was illuminated by the flourescent light bulbs above.

Kagome moved to the back of the room where there was a book shelf with grandpa and mom's personal stores of magic books and memorabilia.

Taking a deep breath and stealing herself, Kagome reached out to touch her grandmother's worn old book, leather bound with the title burned into the spine and cover. She touched two finger tips to the spine of the book and winced, holding her breath. When nothing happened she relaxed and grabbed the book and pulled it out.

She knelt down and opened it. Her heart skipped a beat as the covers fell open, but again nothing happened. Her mother had done her job well.

Carefully Kagome poked at the open book with the toe of her shoe. The old tome was easily three hundred years old, but it was enchanted with spells to be more durable to remain usable longer. It looked almost perfectly preserved.

Kagome began to flip through the spell pages written in archaic Japanese. Kagome had been given lessons by her grandfather, but she didn't think her Japanese would be completely flawless with modern Japanese, much less a three hundred year-old version of the language.

She sighed but ignored that fact. There was simply no helping that. She was too bent on her task to even consider putting the book back and return to her room. Like a sensible girl would. Like she normally would.

Complicated emotions warred inside her, and the only thing that made them fade to a dull buzz was this book. The feel of the bumpy leather in her hands, the sound of pages turning. That was the only thing keeping her sane.

She hated Hojo, and yet she loved him! She was so hurt by what he and Yuka had done she felt like they'd truly wounded her physically. She was torn between sorrow and anger, pride and shame. She was ashamed to feel this way, ashamed she'd been cheated on. She was angry that they'd done this to her, angry at her shame and angry at them. She had her pride, she couldn't let them get away with this, she was proud of her skills as a miko. All these emotions, half conceived feelings, warred inside her and so Kagome stayed.

"God," Kagome whispered.

She flipped through a few more spells and groaned in frustration.

"Oh man! Does my Japanese suck or what?" she demanded with some ire. She'd have to get that fixed sooner or later if she was going to make a habit of casting spells on people.

As she leafed through the book, one particular page caught her eye. On each page, in the topmost right corner was a crescent moon. Either white for white magic, or black for black magic. When she stumbled across one that was grey, she felt her interest pique.

Grey magic was neither bad nor good on it's own. No karmatic repercussions and it would have a little more oomph to it then white magic spells.

Her interest piqued, Kagome turned her attention to the spell itself.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome had to struggle to remember what the words of the title meant. Not promising.

"Inu yasha?" she frowned. She looked up from the book, chewing on her lower lip in contemplation. "Inu means dog but what does 'yasha' mean?"

She clicked her tongue absentmindedly as she thought about it.

"I think it means mischievous," Kagome said out loud. She shrugged and turned back to the page. Maybe the ingredients would give her a better clue.

Sadly they did not. Fairly basic ingredients. Five candles, two blood red, three black because it was grey magic with a slightly darker intent. Some incense and of course chalk to draw the spell circle to contain her magic.

"What would a spell like 'dog mischievous' do?" Kagome wondered to herself. She frowned. There was no description of what the spell would actually do. Kagome shrugged. It was after all only grey magic and what kind of trouble could she get into with a spell that has 'mischievous' in it?

'That is if you're reading it correctly,' she thought darkly. 'Yasha might mean something else entirely!'

Kagome shook her head angrily and banished that thought.

"It's only grey magic!" Kagome said firmly. Trying to banish her doubts. "Some dog will probably pee on Hojo's leg!"

She giggled at the thought. There was however some satisfaction in knowing that something would happen to Hojo, probably humiliating and it would be by her hands. Reassured that something embarrassing, but not life threatening was going to come of this, Kagome decided to continue.

Kagome nodded to herself and reread the list several times to make sure she was missing nothing. There were no other ingredients, but there was a spell. Kagome said it aloud several times to make sure she could pronounce it, even if it was badly.

Then it was time for her preparations to begin!

Kagome went on a little expedition around the store room, first gathering everything she would need. She found most of it painlessly enough, but it wasn't until she started moving boxes to clear a large space she realized she'd forgotten the chalk.

Sighing in aggravation, Kagome then had to try and find the chalk in all the relocated boxes. "Aha!" she said finding a piece of chalk.

It was white and innocent looking like something you'd see kids playing with on the sidewalk. Except for the golden roach-clip around it's bottom and the plastic bottomless cylinder which clipped into the roach-clip. The clip, enabled the spell caster to draw the required runes without getting to much chalk dust on their hands and the plastic lid kept the chalk dust from brushing off onto something without the spell caster's knowledge. Because, innocent as it looked, to a miko like Kagome, it thrummed with power. She could see it's silver veins of energy shifting beneath the exterior.

"Chalk!" she said proudly.

She set it beside her other ingredients.

She looked at the circle she was supposed to draw. There was a diagram of it in the book. She nodded and examined the space she had to work with.

Kagome nodded and took a deep breath.

"Time to light the incense, or senko," she murmured, grabbing a stick of it. She set it in it's holder and lit it with a match, also part of grandpa's supplies. She smiled happily. "Mm! Sandalwood!" she breathed.

Next it was time to start drawing the protective circle.

She carefully twisted the plastic lid and lifted it out of the roach-clip. Kagome felt a thrill go up her spine. The book in one hand and the chalk in the other Kagome slowly knelt down. She took a deep breath and set the tip of the chalk against the wooden floor.

Taking a deep breath she dragged the chalk against the floor, making a white line which shimmered to her miko's sight.

Kagome shuddered again as her blood began to sing, her powers joyously waiting to be released. Kagome hadn't done any serious magic in over a year, not since the scrying spell to find Buyo.

Kagome smiled faintly and began to work.

As she drew, Kagome was very careful to keep the burning incense in the center of her circle at all times. It took her over forty-five minutes to draw the circle alone. A pentagon ringed by two circles, about a foot apart.

A pentagon had always looked like a person splayed out on their back to her. The two most bottom points were legs and feet, the two middle points were arms and hands while the topmost point was of course the head.

After completing the pentagon and circles, careful not to smudge it, Kagome began to fill in the blank space.

In the empty areas formed by the pentagon inside the inner most circle she drew runes and magical symbols, filling it till the only real space of unchalked floor was in the pentagon itself. Inside the space between the circle Kagome painstakingly drew the moon in all it's phases murmuring each to herself.

"Nozomu. Full moon," she whispered. She felt almost like she was in a trance. Her magics thrummed beneath her skin, but her mind was set on the task before her with a single mindedness which managed to drive Hojo and Yuka from her thoughts. "Akira. Harvest moon. Misoka. Day before the new moon. Oboro. The hazy moon."

After drawing it, she swiped her fist across her drawing or oboro, smudging the chalk and making a haze around it.

Finally, the entire ring between the circles had been filled with the moon in all her phases. Next, she lit a black candle.

"Akai rosoku," she said, setting it down. "Black candle!"

Another black candle went beside it at the pentagon's other 'foot.'

Her two red candles went at the pentagon's 'hands' and the final black candle went at the pentagon's head.

As soon as Kagome set it down, the flames of all these candle's lengthened considerably, standing perhaps two inches tall and flickering constantly. Kagome hurried to shut off the flourescent lights, relying only on the five candles with the eerie long flames. She walked around to the spell book and knelt before the circle. Stationing herself between the two 'feet' of the pentagon she began to read the archaic spell carefully.

As her chanting began, her miko powers started to swirl inside her until she could no longer hold the book. It tumbled from her nerveless fingers and fell shut. But it didn't matter now.

Something had seized Kagome till all the girl could do was chant the spell. She hadn't memorized it, but something, maybe a primitive miko instinct, drove her onwards, chanting and casting.

Her head snapped back and her eyes went very wide. She could feel her powers rage inside her violently, demanding release. It began to build inside her; a delightful pressure just waiting to be let loose.

The spell circle began to glow with pink fire. Every chalk line ignited with this strange hued flame. The room, previously illuminated only by five candles, began to brighten and brighten until it was like standing outside at noon. It was as bright as day.

Her mouth continued to say the words, repeating them over and over again. The exquisite pain of her building energy forced her voice louder and louder, until she was shouting with all her might in a vain way to release the thunderstorm which had gathered inside her skin.

This was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

Every nerve was electrically charged. She felt raw, pure emotions swirl through her; it was chaotic and thrilling. Her skin twitched and tingled with the feeling. Her heart hammered until she thought it would burst. She was locked in a kneeling position, head titled back, staring up at the rough roof of the storage shed, her wide unseeing eyes staring passed it.

Finally the climax of the spell came. It built and built and built inside Kagome until she thought she'd go flying in a thousand different directions. Until she thought she'd shatter. Sudden instinct drove her to do something crazy.

She spread her arms and pressed them down on top of the candle-tops, dousing the flames with her palms.

As if a giant palm had pressed down on the circle, the other candles and the pink fire extinguished itself. Kagome was thrust into darkness.

She slumped forward, the black candles her only support.

Her own final, shouted words echoing in the darkness around her; Inuyasha. Inuyasha.

Kagome wrenched her palms free from the candles and stared at her palms. They were both smeared with black candle wax and burned, right in the center of each palm.

Whimpering in pain, Kagome cradled both hands in her lap. She bit her lip as tears of actual physical pain burned her eyes.

She became aware of a growing light as she fought with her tears. Looking up though her eyelashes, head still bowed, Kagome watched as beams of pure white light traced themselves along the spell circle in the same order she'd drawn them in.

Kagome couldn't look directly at it. She had to shield her eyes with her arm from the burning white light. She watched, stupefied as something began to solidify in the center of the ring.

Only a dark shadow surrounded by so much white light, it began to take on a human shape. Kagome could only watch, though she knew, somewhere in her mind, that this was not right.

The form began to walked towards her, towards the edge of protective circle. As it moved towards her, Kagome was able to make out more detail.

It was male, she decided, judging by the width of the shoulders and chest. Kagome hissed as it stepped into the ring made by the two circles, she waited for it to take the final step outside of the circle, but it did not. He merely stood, just within the ring and looked down on her.

She returned his stare, trembling in awe.

His hakama were tapered at the ankles and the same shade of crimson as his kimono. His long, wild silver hair fell like a thick, soft waterfall to his knees. His bangs didn't quite shadow his smooth, handsome face.

His stance was casual. Cocky even. Over one shoulder he rested a sword almost as tall as him with a thick, curving blade. The sword's edge shimmered in the incandescent light of the spell circle and by the way the light danced upon its smooth surface, Kagome knew it was sharp; razor sharp.

It wasn't the intimidating sword with the razor's edge that made Kagome's heart skip a beat. It was his smile. Slow and just as cocky as his stance. Arrogance in every plane of his face and body.

Kagome's oddly thudding heart stopped completely a second later. His canine teeth were too long. The hand that held the sword was a clawed. Her eyes were drawn to his shimmering silver hair by a slight movement. A twitch. Kagome was almost blinded by the bright shimmering light and they were almost obscured by his hair, and still she couldn't believe she'd missed it. Perched on top of his head were two triangular, silver dog ears.

Kagome's mouth went dry as she closed her eyes and swayed as the full implications of what she'd done filled her mind.

Claws, fangs, pointed ears? It could only mean one thing!

Youkai!

.:V:.

Inuyasha felt the room dip slightly, but his smile didn't waver in the least. He knew, like any youkai worth his salt, what this was.

A summoning!

He was nearly blinded by the white light, contrasting too heavily with the dim shadows beyond it. He'd managed to make out the shadowed form of someone, which he'd approached.

Looking down on the terrified young maiden, strangely dressed, he felt a slight twinge.

She was shaking and pale, cradling her hands to her chest protectively. Terrified.

Inuyasha was momentarily confused by her appearance here. Curiously he sniffed faintly. With so many magical energies swirling in the room, mingling with the mundane scent of incense he had trouble reading the power signatures.

There was a faint hint of an old man, he didn't have much of a gift, but he came from a line that did. Another smell, fainter still, a young boy with the same story as the old man. Not much of a gift, but there was something there.

There was a powerful scent here. A woman, perhaps a year or two past her prime. She was powerful. And trained!

Unease began to fill Inuyasha.

With a miko that powerful and a freshly summoned demon, Inuyasha didn't need to be a genius to realize what was going on.

The girl in front of him. The trembling young woman who looked as if she'd collapse at any moment, she must be a sacrifice. The virgin sacrifice to bind him to this plain, and to his master so he could never return home.

He had no intention of spilling her innocent young blood so he would be bound to a powerful miko as a slave.

He didn't see anyone in the shadows, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. A wise miko would be cloaked in an invisibility spell and silently waiting for their demon to devour it's meal before issuing commands.

Well, he had no intention of that!

Opening his mouth to reassure her, without thinking he took a step forward. She gasped as white hot fire coursed through his body, searing him.

The fire was doused suddenly.

He growled. This wasn't good. In the dim light, he watched in growing disbelief as a glowing blue ring began to form in front of the young girl. It was forming a necklace that every demon learned from a young age to fear.

The beads became black, alternating with white teeth, only for a split second before flaring white with the same intense illumination the spell circle had been giving off. The necklace shattered into it's separate pieces and dozens of glowing beads flew at Inuyasha, forming a ring around his neck.

He grabbed the glowing beads, even as they formed a rosary beneath his fingers. Ignoring the burning pain that washed through his arm, he tugged frantically, but to no avail.

His eyes snapped up to the only person he could see in the room.

Howling in senseless youkai rage, he hefted his sword, grabbing it in both fists and brought it down with a vicious swing.

.:V:. 

"What was that?" Rin bolted up in bed and stared at her wallpaper.

Her terrifying dream about the night in the cemetery had been broken by a terrible sound of rage.

She hurried to her window and peered out. She loved her little room with the window looking over the Sunset shrine, an authentic Japanese shrine, right next door to her. Usually this view made her feel calm, and more at home.

As she watched, one of the storage huts disintegrated as if a bomb had been set off inside it; however, she was filled with anything but calm.

A dark shape ran out of the shattered ruins of the building towards the house. Another dark shape seemed to fly after the first. A girl's scream pierced the night.

Rin's trembling legs finally remembered how to move. Turning back to her bed, she snatched up Fluffy, her constant companion, and ran out her room.

"Uncle Jaken! Uncle Jaken! Uncle Jaken!" she screamed bursting into his room. "Uncle Jaken, something's happen at the Shrine!"

.:V:.

Kagome felt a wind zip over her head as she tripped on the uneven cobble stones of her shrine's courtyards. She rolled over onto her back and watched in dizzy horror as a large silver form began to descend on her, glowing like a sliver of the moon.

A part of her mind, a distant, unimportant part of her mind screamed and screamed. Sobbing, begging not to die. She ignored it though. In a morbid, detached way, she watched breathlessly as the handsome boy, his eyes now glowing blood red, brought the sword down in a sweeping motion.

It would cleave her in two. Right down the middle.

"So this is how I die?"

* * *

A/N I'm sorry I made Kagome Canadian, but as I said before, wouldn't you rather I change her nationality then shred everything? The translations for the Japanese words that are part of the ingredients for the spell are courtesy of Calum the Angel by the way. The moon names are from Super Ceech's manga. So yeah. I wanted to throw enough Japanese in there to at least give the illusion Kagome's fictional spell book might know what it's talking about. Besides, the spell is in Japanese and I think throwing in random Japanese words in the English section makes me look smart, don't you? Oh by the way! Please check out Super Ceech's and Calum the Angel's stuff. For every person that reviews them and says I sent them, they'll refrain from beating me for one day! So PLEASE review! Brusies hurt! 


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